Bình Phước pepper prices down, spelling struggles for farmers

HÀ NỘI — The price of pepper in the southern province of Bình Phước has sharply fallen, making local gardeners worried they could face a season of losses.

Farmers harvest pepper in the southern province of Bình Phước. — Photo baobinhphuoc

The price of pepper currently ranges from VNĐ45,000 (US$1.90) to VNĐ46,000 per kilo, down by about VNĐ5,000 from last month. With this price, many farmers failed to make a profit, with some even suffering losses due to the costs of fertiliser, electricity, water and labour

Party Secretary of Bình Phước Province Nguyễn Văn Lợi said local farmers have harvested more than 30,000 tonnes of pepper qualified for export, only one-third of which had been ordered by a business. The remaining 20,000 tonnes had not yet been sold.

Lợi called for domestic and foreign exporters to pay attention to the local pepper harvests because the price was too low, which had caused difficulties for farmers.

Meanwhile, pepper harvesters still earn a lot as they are hired at a rate of VNĐ4,000 per kilo.

Nguyễn Văn Sơn, a resident in Hớn Quản District, said he can harvest about 80 kilos of pepper per day, while his wife can harvest 100 kilos. “We had a high income during the harvest this year,” he said.